Latest news with #SamJohnson
BBC News
21-05-2025
- General
- BBC News
Brighton's RNLI lifeguard service starts this weekend
A new lifeguard service which is run by the RNLI is to be rolled out in Brighton & Hove this charity will have lifeguards at ten different sites from Hove to Saltdean from Saturday to 7 RNLI already manages more than 200 beaches across the & Hove City Council announced the move in January, and said transferring the service to the RNLI will help it to "maintain the current level of service and provide value for money". Sam Johnson, water safety manager for the RNLI, said: "We'd really encourage people if they're coming to the beach to chat to the lifeguards, find out what's going on, speak to them about the safe areas to bathe and use different water craft."We patrol 240 beaches around the UK each year. We're really proud to be working with Brighton & Hove City Council to roll out the service."There will be at least two lifeguards at the each of the sites. We'd encourage people to use a lifeguarded beach, check the weather and tides."The charity is also promoting its Float to Live campaign for people who get into difficulty in the RNLI's advice is for people to tilt their head back with ears submerged, relax and try to breathe normally and move their hands and legs to help them stay afloat.
The Guardian
21-05-2025
- The Guardian
Mental health of NSW grandmother accused of murdering two grandsons will be central issue in case, court hears
Mental health will be the central issue in the case of a woman accused of murdering her two young grandsons in their rural home. Kathleen Joyce Heggs, 66, has been charged with two counts of domestic violence murder over the deaths of Max and Sam Johnson, aged seven and six. The brothers were found dead in their home on the outskirts of Coonabarabran, in northwest New South Wales, on the afternoon of 5 May. Heggs, their maternal grandmother, had harmed herself and was arrested and taken to a mental health unit at Orange hospital. Her case was briefly mentioned in Dubbo local court on Wednesday, and she was not required to appear from custody. 'This is going to be a question of my client's mental health at the time of the offences,' Heggs' solicitor Christopher Ford told the court. Ford did not object to an application by NSW Police to conduct a forensic procedure on Heggs. Magistrate Brett Shields confirmed an order for the unspecified procedure to be carried out. Before the matter was heard in front of the magistrate, Ford had an exchange with a Legal Aid lawyer who had been initially instructed by Heggs. Ford, via video-link from Sydney, announced he was appearing for Heggs. Senior Legal Aid solicitor Bill Dickens said he had spoken to Heggs earlier in the morning and received instructions from her. Ford insisted he was representing her. 'I've just spoken to her and she's trying to contact you,' Ford said. Dickens repeatedly asked Ford not to discuss Heggs' legal representation in an open forum. 'Please stop talking about this in an open court in the presence of the media,' Dickens said. Ford later asked that legal documents be sent to his office in the city. Heggs was the sole carer for her grandsons and the family had moved from the NSW Central Coast to Coonabarabran about a year ago. Two junior police officers broke into their house on a semi-rural property after a message sent to the communities and justice department triggered an emergency response. They found the boys' bodies in their bedrooms. After treatment in a mental health facility, Heggs has been taken into custody, a NSW Corrective Services spokeswoman confirmed. At Heggs' first court appearance, five days after her arrest, police documents alleged she may have killed the boys as early as 10.30am on 5 May. Police have previously said there were no weapons involved in the alleged murders. The boys' deaths shook Coonabarabran, where they went to the local primary school and attended karate classes. Community members held a candlelight vigil in a park by the Castlereagh River, where they planted two trees in the boys' honour and displayed the yellow karate belts they were due to receive. Warrumbungle Shire Councillor Kodi Brady read a poem describing the boys as 'wild as March hares, full of spark and flame'. Heggs' case will return to court on 10 July.
Daily Mail
09-05-2025
- Daily Mail
Huge development after two young boys were found dead at a home in Coonabarabran - as devastated parents break their silence
A grandmother has been charged with the alleged double murders of two schoolboys in NSW's west as their devastated parents share a heartfelt tribute. Sam, six, and Max, seven, were found dead at a semi-rural property on the outskirts of Coonabarabran in northwest NSW on Monday afternoon. Police charged the boys' 66-year-old maternal grandmother, Kathy Heggs, with two counts of murder. She was refused bail and will appear at Parramatta Bail Court on Saturday. It's understood the 66-year-old remains in a mental health facility in Orange. It comes as the parents of the young boys said they 'adored each other' in a heartbreaking tribute to their sons. The boys were removed from the care of Samantha Heggs and Troy Johnson, about four years ago. Mr Johnson revealed Sam had recently beat cancer. 'What he went through, the pain, the way he beat that cancer. He's my hero,' the grief-stricken father told 9News. On Monday afternoon, two officers went to the home after a message sent to the communities and justice department triggered an emergency response. The officers broke into the house to find the boys' bodies in separate bedrooms, while their grandmother was nearby. The woman was taken to Orange Police Station after she was released from hospital on Friday. A crime scene was established, and officers from the Orana mid-western police district and detectives from the state's homicide squad have commenced an investigation. Grieving members of a small rural community gathered to honour the lives of the two boys on Friday. A tree was to be planted for each boy, along with a ceremonial presentation of the karate students' yellow belts. Warrumbungle Shire councillor Kodi Brady told AAP he hoped the vigil would help the community cope with the tragedy. 'It's a really important part, to take the community on the stepping stone of healing from the shock of the incident to another step forward in the grief and loss process,' he said. 'We're a small rural town, there is such a ripple effect... it has impacted the whole community.' Lifeline 13 11 14
News.com.au
09-05-2025
- News.com.au
Parents of boys allegedly killed by their grandmother paid tribute as murder charges are laid
The parents of two boys who were allegedly killed by their grandmother in Coonabarabran this week have paid tribute to their sons, just as the police announce murder charges in the case. Samantha Heggs and Troy Johnson told Nine News brothers Max, seven, and Sam, six, were extremely close and adored each other. Nine reported the parents lost custody of their sons who were removed by the Department of Communities and Justice about four years ago. Mr Johnson said Max was never sick and was always happy and healthy. 'He was the happiest little kid he never cried, even as a baby he didn't cry,' he said. '(Sam's) the toughest little kid I've met, the way he went through the pain, the way he beat that cancer, he's my hero.' A candlelit vigil was held in memory of two boys whose bodies were found in a home in regional northwest NSW. Max and Sam were found inside a home in Coonabarabran by police conducting a welfare check on Monday. The boys' 66-year old grandmother Kathy Heggs was arrested at the scene and taken to a mental health facility in Orange. Police believe the grandmother 'attempted to self-harm' before she was arrested and taken to hospital. The tribute comes as the police lay charges against the 66-year-old. The police have charged Ms Heggs with two counts of murder over the death of her two grandsons. She was refused bail and will appear at Parramatta Bail Court on Saturday. A crime scene has been established and officers attached to Orana Mid-Western Police District have commenced an investigation under Strike Force Darnum, assisted by detectives from State Crime Command's Homicide Squad.
RNZ News
08-05-2025
- General
- RNZ News
Take a pew and relax
life and society arts 27 minutes ago A network of specially-designed public benches is being created to encourage people to sit, slow down, reflect on life and take in the view. The ambitious goal is to install one thousand benches or paererewa in notable spots across Aotearoa which will still be around in a thousand years' time. They're not your average bench seat - they're works of art and some of the first designs have been unveiled at the Aotearoa Art Fair in Auckland. The project is the collective brainchild of three entrepreneurs including Student Volunteer Army founder Sam Johnson. Visit If you'd like to know more.
